A system and method for the overprint on flexible supports are described. In particular, the overprint system 1 comprises a printing unit 2 comprising a rotatable printing cylinder 3, having printing zones at the surface thereof, and first actuating means 14, configured to drive in a controllable manner the printing cylinder 3 rotation. The system further comprises a first reel 5 for unwinding a flexible support 4 to be printed, which has preset zones to be overprinted, and a second reel 8 for rewinding the flexible support 4, once it has been printed. A plurality of winding rolls 7 arranges an unwinding path, for the flexible support 4, comprised between the first 5 and the second 8 reels, and passing through the printing unit 2. The system then comprises second actuation means 20, configured to drive in a controllable manner the flexible support 4 advancement along the unwinding path (upstream of the printing unit 2 in the unwinding direction), and control means 10, configured to control in a coordinated manner both the first actuating means 14 and the second actuation means 20, so as to determine at every moment a correspondence of the preset zones to be overprinted of the flexible support 4 with respective printing zones of the printing cylinder 3.

A system and method for the overprint on flexible supports are described. In particular, the overprint system 1 comprises a printing unit 2 comprising a rotatable printing cylinder 3, having printing zones at the surface thereof, and first actuating means 14, configured to drive in a controllable manner the printing cylinder 3 rotation. The system further comprises a first reel 5 for unwinding a flexible support 4 to be printed, which has preset zones to be overprinted, and a second reel 8 for rewinding the flexible support 4, once it has been printed. A plurality of winding rolls 7 arranges an unwinding path, for the flexible support 4, comprised between the first 5 and the second 8 reels, and passing through the printing unit 2. The system then comprises second actuation means 20, configured to drive in a controllable manner the flexible support 4 advancement along the unwinding path (upstream of the printing unit 2 in the unwinding direction), and control means 10, configured to control in a coordinated manner both the first actuating means 14 and the second actuation means 20, so as to determine at every moment a correspondence of the preset zones to be overprinted of the flexible support 4 with respective printing zones of the printing cylinder 3.

An object processing machine for processing a plurality of objects, the machine comprising: a plurality of processing modules, each processing module having a modular structure co-operable with the modular structure of another processing module to form a modular assembly constituting the object processing machine; each processing module being operable to perform a corresponding processing operation on an object and being provided with at least one transfer unit located at a respective port of the processing module; each transfer unit being arranged to transfer an object to or from the corresponding processing module and/or to or from a transfer unit of another processing module of the modular assembly; the transfer units being arranged to co-operate with one another and/or with another processing unit such that objects can be guided from an input of the machine to an output of the machine via a plurality of different transport pathways through the machine, wherein the transport pathway taken by a said object being processed corresponds to the pre-determined processing operations to be performed on the said object. A method of processing a plurality of objects using such a machine is also described.

An object processing machine for processing a plurality of objects, the machine comprising: a plurality of processing modules, each processing module having a modular structure co-operable with the modular structure of another processing module to form a modular assembly constituting the object processing machine; each processing module being operable to perform a corresponding processing operation on an object and being provided with at least one transfer unit located at a respective port of the processing module; each transfer unit being arranged to transfer an object to or from the corresponding processing module and/or to or from a transfer unit of another processing module of the modular assembly; the transfer units being arranged to co-operate with one another and/or with another processing unit such that objects can be guided from an input of the machine to an output of the machine via a plurality of different transport pathways through the machine, wherein the transport pathway taken by a said object being processed corresponds to the pre-determined processing operations to be performed on the said object. A method of processing a plurality of objects using such a machine is also described.

A sheet sorting apparatus includes a first tray detachable from an apparatus main body, a second tray arranged below the first tray, a discharge unit to discharge a sheet to the first or second tray, a tray detecting unit to detect that the first tray is detached from the apparatus main body, a full stack detecting unit to detect a fully stacked condition of the first tray, and a control unit to control the discharge unit. In a case where the tray detecting unit detects that the first tray is detached from the apparatus main body, the control unit controls the discharge unit not to discharge a sheet to the second tray when a number of sheets discharged to the second tray reaches a threshold number of sheets, even though the full stack detecting unit does not detect the fully stacked condition.

A sheet sorting apparatus includes a first tray detachable from an apparatus main body, a second tray arranged below the first tray, a discharge unit to discharge a sheet to the first or second tray, a tray detecting unit to detect that the first tray is detached from the apparatus main body, a full stack detecting unit to detect a fully stacked condition of the first tray, and a control unit to control the discharge unit. In a case where the tray detecting unit detects that the first tray is detached from the apparatus main body, the control unit controls the discharge unit not to discharge a sheet to the second tray when a number of sheets discharged to the second tray reaches a threshold number of sheets, even though the full stack detecting unit does not detect the fully stacked condition.

A sheet conveying apparatus includes: a first pair of conveying rollers for conveying a sheet; a second pair of conveying rollers against which the leading edge of the sheet conveyed by the first pair of conveying rollers is hit and which conveys the sheet together with the first pair of conveying rollers by rotating after a loop is formed on the sheet; a separating portion for separating the first pair of conveying rollers; a first conveyance path for guiding the sheet; a second conveyance path which is a path different from the first conveyance path and guides the sheet; and a controller which changes a separation timing at which the first pair of conveying rollers is separated after the loop is formed on the sheet, depending on whether the sheet is guided by the first conveyance path or by the second conveyance path.

A sheet conveying apparatus includes: a first pair of conveying rollers for conveying a sheet; a second pair of conveying rollers against which the leading edge of the sheet conveyed by the first pair of conveying rollers is hit and which conveys the sheet together with the first pair of conveying rollers by rotating after a loop is formed on the sheet; a separating portion for separating the first pair of conveying rollers; a first conveyance path for guiding the sheet; a second conveyance path which is a path different from the first conveyance path and guides the sheet; and a controller which changes a separation timing at which the first pair of conveying rollers is separated after the loop is formed on the sheet, depending on whether the sheet is guided by the first conveyance path or by the second conveyance path.

A printing apparatus, in a case of performing double-sided printing on a plurality of sheets, performs an overlap reversing operation by controlling a first sheet to stay in a reversing path to position at least a trailing edge of the first sheet in a second direction in a conveying path when conveying the first sheet to the reversing path after completion of a printing operation on a first surface of the first sheet, and controls the reversing roller to convey the first sheet and a second sheet fed by a feed roller next to the first sheet, in a state in which the first sheet staying in the reversing path and a leading edge of the second sheet in the second direction overlap each other, after completion of the printing operation on a first surface of the second sheet.

A printing apparatus includes a first discharge path that discharges a sheet and a second discharge path different from the first discharge path. An angle difference between a direction in which the sheet is discharged in the second discharge path and a conveyance direction of a conveyance roller is less than an angle difference between a direction in which the sheet is discharged in the first discharge path and the conveyance direction of the conveyance roller. The printing apparatus includes a control unit that discharges the sheet on which the image is printed using the second discharge path even in a case where an instruction to print an image indicates discharging the sheet to the first discharge path, if the sheet conveyed by the conveyance roller is a sheet having a thickness equal to or greater than a predetermined value.